Mobile devices have become increasingly common communication tools. In some instances, mobile devices have become so common that mobile devices can be treated as personal identities. During and after a disaster many people attempt to use their mobile devices to communicate with other people. For example, ordinary people in an area affected by a disaster may attempt to use their mobile devices to communicate with family, friends, and emergency response personnel. Moreover, emergency response personnel use mobile devices to coordinate their activities. In addition, people outside the affected area may attempt to call people believed to be in the affected area.
The communication infrastructure in an area affected by a disaster may become overloaded because many people within the affected area attempt to use their mobile devices to communicate with others during and after the disaster. As a result, people in the affected area may be unable to make phone calls, send or receive text messages, or transmit data on their mobile devices. Furthermore, people outside the affected area may be unable to make phone calls, send text messages, or transmit data to the mobile devices of people within the affected area. In addition, the ability of emergency response personnel to communicate with each other to coordinate their actions may be reduced.